Packaging of fragile articles



April 11, 1961 H. WASHINGTON PACKAGING OF FRAGILE ARTICLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 15, 1959 in f I C C D I10 I INVE N TOR HAROLD wAalNG ON BY @414 Q414 ATTORNEYS April 11, 1961 H. WASHINGTON PACKAGING 0F FRAGILE ARTICLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 15, 1959 INVENTOR mono WASHINGTON ATTORNEYS April 11, 1961 Filed Oct. 15, 1959 H. WASHINGTON I PACKAGING OF FRAGILE ARTICLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVE NTOR HAROLD NASNINGTON ATTORNEYS April 11, 1961 H. WASHINGTON PACKAGING OF FRAGILE ARTICLES 4 Sheets-$heet 4 Filed Oct. 15, 1959 INVENTOR HAROLD wAsumeTou ATTORNEYS United States Patent PACKAGING OF FRAGILE ARTICLES Harold Washington, Romiley, England, assignor to Washington Box Limited, Manchester, England, a company of Great Britain Filed Oct. 15, 1959, Ser. No. 846,679

1 Claim. (Cl. 2291 4) This invention relates to improvements in the packaging of fragile articles.

The invention consists essentially of a packing device adopted to be fitted between the article and the inner surface of an outer carton or container, the said device comprising a flat surface having superimposed thereon two side-by-side corrugations, preferably triangular in section, one edge of one corrugation being hingedly secured to one longitudinal edge of the flat surface and one edge of the other corrugation being similarly secured to the other longitudinal edge of the flat surface, the adjacent edges of the corrugations being formed with flat projections, the projections on one edge alternating with spaces on the other edge whereby when the device is assembled pressure applied thereto such as by a blow or a fall will cause the projections to slide over the fiat surface in one direction the other according as to which of the corrugations receive the greater part of the pressure and thereby absorbing the pressure without it being transmitted to the article.

The device is preferably formed from a blank of material such as cardboard, a double faced corrugated board or paper which is scored longitudinal to form the central fiat surface, the two triangular shaped corrugations and the projections at the adjacent edges of the two corrugations.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a view of a scored blank for the formation of the device.

Fig. 2 is an end view of a device folded from the scored blank shown in Fig. l, the corrugation being in their normal positions.

Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2 but showing the position of the corrugations after pressure has been applied thereto.

Fig. 4 is a blank for forming one half of a rectilinear packing in accordance with the invention, the whole packing being adapted to be inserted in an outer box or container.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a packing produced from two of the blanks shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section on line 66, Fig. 5 and showing the packing inserted in an outer box or container.

Fig. 7 is a blank for forming four sides of a narrow rectangular packing in accordance with the invention and adapted to be inserted in an outer box or container.

Fig. 8 is a transverse section of a packing formed from a blank similar to that shown in Fig. 7 or from two blanks similar to those shown in Fig. 4, the packing being shown inserted in an outer box or container.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a packing built up of a number of separate elements such as shown in Fig. 5 arranged around a central rectangular tube and inserted in an outer box or container.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a rectangular packing device having a packing according to the invention arranged on one side thereof.

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating a modification of the invention.

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of the modification.

The arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 illustrates the construction of a rectangular sheet of packing. In these drawings a blank of cardboard, double faced corrugated board or paper or other suitable material is scored longitudinally at b b b and c c 0 leaving a central flat surface A. The portion of the blank between the score lines b and c and the corresponding edge ofrthe blank is cut to form flat projections or tongues b or'c the projections on one edge being opposite the spaces between them on the other edge. The spaces between the projections may be cut away entirely or be formed by bending the edges inwards where they occur.

The blank is folded along the score lines, the projections on one edge passing through the spaces on the other edge, into the form of a pair of corrugations B and C as shown in Fig. 2 the corrugations being of triangular shape in cross section.

When the device receives a sudden blow or a fall the corrugations B and C tend to slide or float over the surface A as shown in Fig. 3 and absorb the pressure without it being transmitted to the surface A.

For producing a packing such as shown in Fig. 5 it may be folded from two blanks (Fig. 4) each blank comprising a side portion A and an end portion A or from a single blank (Fig. 7) consisting of two side portions A and two end portions A. In each case the blank is formed with a lug a which when the blank is folded fits inside the abutting ends of the rectangular packing.

A packing such as shown in Fig. 5 is adapted tobe used in an outer box or container D as shown in Fig. 6 in which case a single sheet packing A formed as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is placed below the rectangular packing and a similar single sheet packing A is placed over the packing. Alternatively, the top and bottom single sheet packing may be arranged in relation to the rectangular packing as shown in Fig. 8, Le. between the end A thereof.

Fig. 9 shows a modified form of a packing unit in which only one side A is formed according to the invention.

A packing device according to the invention is capable of large variations in size. The size horizontally may be varied by varying the length of the sides A and/or the ends A The height on the other hand may be varied by building up a column of two or more units similar to Fig. 5, the height (or depth) of each unit being necessary limited by the operative scope of the triangular corrugations B and C. Similarly, an area of greater width than the operative scope of these corrugations may be obtained by arranging side by-side two or more of the units shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Where the sides of an article which is to be packed is longer than the depth of a single unit the units may be disposed around the article itself, one over another, and

where the article varies in cross sectional size the units are assembled around a central tube E as shown in Fig. 10. In this drawing the top end unit is not shown assembled on the tube E in order to allow the latter to be shown.

Where an article to be packed has more or less sides than four the packing unit may be constructed with a corresponding number of sides.

Occasionally, in the case of heavy articles, the weight thereof may be such as to flatten the triangular corrugations B and C and to prevent this a resilient tube F can be inserted in the triangles as shown in Figs. 11 and 12.

In some cases it may be desirable for the inner container to be surrounded by a container of similar construction andthen by the outer carton or packing case.

I claim:

A device for cushioning, an article as a packing comprising, a rectangular flat member having opposite and parallel outer longitudinal edges and a central longitudinal portion and sets of three parallel longitudinally extending scored lines between the adjacent longitudinal edge and the adjacent side of the central longitudinal portion, each outer longitudinal edge of said fiat member being provided with a series of spaced outwardly extending projections coplanar with the surface of said flat member, each side of said flat member being foldable into in triangular formation with a portion of the central longitudinal portion in cross section and with the projections of one longitudinal edge of said flat member being receivable in the spaces between the projections of the other longitudinal edge of said fiat member in inter-engagement and with the projections of each longitudinal edge being slidable in opposite directions upon the central portion of said fiat member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,007,088 Jones July 2, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,086,830 France Aug. 18, 1954 

